Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.

Saturday, 8 April 2017

Today marks the anniversary of the end of nearly 700 years of African Muslim rule over Spain, Portugal and Southern France.

Four hundred and eight years ago today King Phillip III of Spain signed an order, which was one of the earliest examples of ethnic cleansing. At the height of the Spanish inquisition, King Phillip III ordered the expulsion of 300,000 Muslim Moriscos, which initiated one of the most brutal and tragic episodes in the history of Spain.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, it was ancient Africans that brought civilization to Spain and large parts of Europe and not the other way around.

The first civilization of Europe was established on the Greek island of Crete in 1700 BC and the Greeks were primarily civilized by the Black Africans of the Nile Valley. The Greeks then passed on this acquired culture to the Romans who ultimately lost it; thus, initiating the Dark Ages that lasted for five centuries. Civilization was once again reintroduced to Europe when another group of Black Africans, The Moors, brought the Dark Ages to an end.

When history is taught in the West, the period called the “Middle Ages” is generally referred to as the “Dark Ages,” and depicted as the period during which civilization in general, including the arts and sciences, laid somewhat idle. This was certainly true for Europeans, but not for Africans.

Renowned historian, Cheikh Anta Diop, explains how during the Middle Ages, the great empires of the world were Black empires, and the educational and cultural centers of the world were predominately African. Moreover, during that period, it was the Europeans who were the lawless barbarians.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire multitudes of white warring tribes from the Caucus were pushed into Western Europe by the invading Huns. The Moors invaded Spanish shores in 711 AD and African Muslims literally civilized the wild, white tribes from the Caucus. The Moors eventually ruled over Spain, Portugal, North Africa and southern France for over seven hundred years.

Although generations of Spanish rulers have tried to expunge this era from the historical record, recent archaeology and scholarship now sheds new light on how Moorish advances in mathematics, astronomy, art, and philosophy helped propel Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.

One the most famous British historians Basil Davidson, noted that during the eighth century there was no land “more admired by its neighbours, or more comfortable to live in, than a rich African civilization which took shape in Spain”.

The Moors were unquestionably Black and the 16th century English playwright William Shakespeare used the word Moor as a synonym for African.

Education was universal in Muslim Spain, while in Christian Europe, 99 percent of the population was illiterate, and even kings could neither read nor write. The Moors boasted a remarkably high literacy rate for a pre-modern society. During an era when Europe had only two universities, the Moors had seventeen. The founders of Oxford University were inspired to form the institution after visiting universities in Spain. According to the United Nations’ Education body, the oldest university operating in the world today, is the University of Al-Karaouine of Morocco founded during the height of the Moorish Empire in 859 A.D. by a Black woman named Fatima al-Fihri.

In the realm of mathematics, the number zero (0), the Arabic numerals, and the decimal system were all introduced to Europe by Muslims, assisting them to solve problems far more quickly and accurately and laying the foundation for the Scientific Revolution.

The Moors’ scientific curiosity extended to flight and polymath, Ibn Firnas, made the world’s first scientific attempt to fly in a controlled manner, in 875 A.D. Historical archives suggest that his attempt worked, but his landing was somewhat less successful.

Africans took to the skies some six centuries before the Italian Leonardo Da Vinci developed a hang glider.

Clearly, the Moors helped to lift the general European populace out of the Dark Ages, and paved the way for the Renaissance period. In fact, a large number of the traits on which modern Europe prides itself came to it from Muslim Spain, namely, free trade, diplomacy, open borders, etiquette, advanced seafaring, research methods, and key advances in chemistry.

At a time when the Moors built 600 public baths and the rulers lived in sumptuous palaces, the monarchs of Germany, France, and England convinced their subjects that cleanliness was a sin and European kings dwelt in big barns, with no windows and no chimneys, often with only a hole in the roof for the exit of smoke.

In the 10th century, Cordoba was not just the capital of Moorish Spain but also the most important and modern city in Europe. Cordoba boasted a population of half a million and had street lighting, fifty hospitals with running water, five hundred mosques and seventy libraries, one of which held over 500,000 books.

All of these achievements occurred at a time when London had a predominantly illiterate population of around 20,000 and had largely forgotten the technical advances of the Romans some six hundred years before. Street lamps and paved streets did not appear in London or Paris until hundreds of years later.

The Catholic Church forbade money lending which severely hampered any efforts at economic progress. Medieval Christian Europe was a miserable lot, which was riffe with squalor, barbarism, illiteracy, and mysticism.

In Europe’s great Age of Exploration, Spain and Portugal were the leaders in global seafaring. It was the Moorish advances in navigational technology such as the astrolabe and sextant, as well as their improvements in cartography and shipbuilding, that paved the way for the Age of Exploration. Thus, the era of Western global dominance of the past half-millennium originated from the African Moorish sailors of the Iberian Peninsula during the 1300s.

Long before Spanish Monarchs commissioned Columbus’ search for land to the West, African Muslims, amongst others, had long since established significant contact with the Americas and left a lasting impression on Native culture.

One can only wonder how Columbus could have discovered America when a highly civilised and sophisticated people were watching him arrive from America’s shores?

An overwhelming body of new evidence is emerging which proves that Africans had frequently sailed across the Atlantic to the Americas, thousands of years before Columbus and indeed before Christ. Dr. Barry Fell of Harvard University highlights an array of evidence of Muslims in America before Columbus from sculptures, oral traditions, coins, eye-witness reports, ancient artifacts, Arabic documents and inscriptions.

The strongest evidence of African presence in America before Columbus comes from the pen of Columbus himself. In 1920, a renowned American historian and linguist, Leo Weiner of Harvard University, in his book, Africa and the Discovery of America, explained how Columbus noted in his journal that Native Americans had confirmed that,

“black skinned people had come from the south-east in boats, trading in gold-tipped spears.”

Muslim Spain not only collected and perpetuated the intellectual advances of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Roman civilisation, it also expanded on that civilisation and made its own vital contributions in fields ranging from astronomy, pharmacology, maritime navigation, architecture and law.

The centuries old impression given by some Western scholars that the African continent made little or no contributions to civilization, and that its people are naturally primitive has, unfortunately, became the basis of racial prejudice, slavery, colonialism and the ongoing economic oppression of Africa. If Africans re-write their true history, they will reveal a glory that they will inevitably seek to recapture. After all, the greatest threat towards Africa having a glorious future is her people’s ignorance of Africa’s glorious past.

The US administration did not wait for what might come out of the UN Security Council or from the UN institutions, especially after the request for the establishment of a commission of inquiry and fact-finding over Khan Sheikoun, which was subjected to an attack by internationally prohibited poisonous chemical gases. It rushed to target the Shayrat Air Base in eastern Homs with dozens of Tomahawk missiles launched from its warships in the Mediterranean.

The reasons for accelerating the launching of the missile strike

First, the US acceleration in launching the missile strike appeared to be a race against a series of facts that have begun to impose themselves on this subject. One of the most important facts is what the US media and more than one newspaper have been circulating regarding Syrian witnesses from the affected area in Khan Sheikhoun unanimously agreeing that the explosion took place in the targeted building because it was struck by a missile from the air. A small cloud of smoke – a result of the explosion of barrels of poisonous gases – appeared shortly afterwards. This is completely contrary to the specifications and methods used in a chemical weapons strike, which requires a military technician to carry out the explosion using a temporary sheath that explodes at least 100 meters above the surface in order to avoid the ineffective launch of this type of weapon that can happen in case the rocket carrying poisonous gas explodes directly on the target.

Second, any scientific inquiry by a neutral international fact-finding commission that will operate on a broad basis will inevitably involve a sensual inspection of the targeted location. This will certainly show the nature of the explosion and the spread of toxic substances as a result of a rocket loaded with these materials or as a result of an explosion of barrels filled with these substances in the targeted area. The investigation will also include a comprehensive and accurate inspection of the airport where everyone agrees the aircraft took off from as part of its usual bombing runs, including its daily and routine air coverage of the spot where the chemical explosion took place. It will also include the inspection of all the air base depots, which will certainly show the existence or absence of the missiles or bombs loaded with chemical weapons whose effects cannot be obscured or hidden from a scientific standpoint. The missile strike against the air base, the warehouses, and bomber jet launchers eliminates any possibility to reach the scientific data needed by any commission of inquiry to investigate the facts.The real goals behind the strike

This missile strike came so fast to achieve the following objectives:

– First, for the sake of American internal politics, namely the position of the US president and the wide criticisms against him, which have forced a fluctuation in his decisions that marked his campaign, resulting in the apparent contradiction in his policy on terrorism and what he has been able to implement so far despite his claims to the contrary.

– Second, for military and field accounts. Choosing the Shayrat airbase, the most active in its air operations in confronting Daesh in eastern Syrian, came to extract the vital strategic point from the Syrian Arab Army, which it uses to press eastwards. The army’s advances from southeast of Aleppo and east Palmyra are posing a threat to Daesh. Since all US-backed units were unable to achieve any real progress or any strategic impact on the Raqqa neighborhood – even though they are supported directly by more than one commando unit – the US administration considered it necessary to launch a missile strike at this airport to delay the advance of the Syrian Arab Army until it finds a solution to the inability and failure of those it is supporting to replace Daesh and race the Syrian Arab Army in doing so.

Third, the ‘Israeli’ influence and its interests cannot be excluded from targeting the airport and its surroundings. The airbase houses the missile system that has recently pursued ‘Israeli’ launchers, from which strategic rockets have threatened ‘Israel’s’ territory in the occupied Palestinian territories. This of course serves ‘Israel’s’ maneuver in exploiting the subject of toxic gases in Khan Shoukhan to target a strategic Syrian military post that was difficult for it to get to under a solid Russian position that prevented it from being targeted in a broad manner.

From here, it is possible to determine the real dimensions of this American missile strike of the Syrian air base in Shayrat, why it worked to obliterate and hide evidence that might exonerate the Syrian state, or why it really targeted it and what goals lay behind this missile strike.

Establishment Struggles to Maintain Anti-Russian Narrative as the Ice Starts to Crack Under Them

As I have noted before in Strategic Culture Foundation, the infant Trump Administration is engaged in a life and death struggle with the Deep State, the mainstream media (MSM), all of the Democrats in Congress, and a lot of the Republicans too. One issue lies at the heart of the struggle: the determination of Trump’s enemies not to allow any sort of warming of ties between Washington and Moscow.

Day after day the MSM run story after story alleging, with no evidence whatsoever, that Trump is a puppet of Vladimir Putin, who stole our election to put Trump in the White House. Congressional hearings on «Russian interference» in elections in America – and France, Germany, and wherever else – have turned into a veritable Witches’ Sabbath of Russophobic hysteria and of the dangers of «populism» of the sort represented by Trump and Marine Le Pen.

Meanwhile, the other side of the crisis is starting to slip out of the anti-Trumpers’ control. In recent days it has become clear that Barack Obama’s former Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas admitted on TV to what amounts to knowledge of criminal leaking of classified information. Potentially even more damaging to the «soft coup» is the revelation that Obama’s former National Security Adviser Susan Rice – notorious for her lies about the 2012 Benghazi terror attack – was involved in the «unmasking» of Trump transition team names captured in intelligence surveillance. The MSM is panicking, insisting Rice did nothing wrong: don’t look behind that curtain, nothing to see here, just move along, folks…

That isn’t going to work. In coming weeks, we will start to get some answers. Who – which agencies, American or foreign like GCHQ – spied on Trump and his people? Whom were they surveilling, the Trump people directly or «only» the people the team were talking with, Russian or otherwise? Under what legal authority, if any, did the surveillance operate? What was done with the data, and to whom was it passed on – violating what laws?

Meanwhile, the more dignified elements of the Deep State pretend has nothing has changed. The ship of state sails majestically forward, no storm is on the horizon. The usual well-funded «experts» explain the world to us, and even honest and intelligent people are expected to nod deferentially and drink in great draughts of Establishment wisdom.

A case in point is the recent report of the über-Establishment Brookings Institution: «Putin’s no populist, but he can gain from populist movements worldwide». It can be summed up in two sentences: Putin is a scared little man fishing in troubled waters. Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing and needs to be careful not to give Putin an opening for mischief.

Frankly, it’s not the worst think tank analysis about Russia and America – almost anything from American Enterprise Institute or Heritage would be ten times worse. The Brookings report rests on a straw man, namely the issue of what constitutes «populism/populist» (used 38 times in the piece). The closest the authors come to giving us a definition is «uncontrollable political and economic forces for which no one was prepared». Whatever that means.

By that definition, «populism» never has existed and never can, except for very brief, unviable episodes. Its repeated use in the piece is a symptom of the progressive authors’ faith in the Bolshevik myth of spontaneous movements of «the people» (you know, like .05 percent of the population on the streets of Kiev, twice, counts as «the Ukrainian people have chosen to be part of Europe!»). That myth, closely linked to the myth of democracy (as wielded as a weapon by Western ideologues), is contrasted to the reality: the inevitability of oligarchy, in modern times usually plutocratic in nature. (Though not always. The USSR was an oligarchy but not based on wealth. Rather, membership in the ruling oligarchy temporarily gave one a semblance of wealth, unless and until your number finally came up.)

Brookings writes: «Last but not least, populists target the power of elite establishments. In Russia, Putin is the establishment». To be in power effectively is, ipso facto, to be the establishment. There are few ways an outsider can do that:

One, shoot the old establishment and create a new one (the Bolsheviks, again).

Two, give in and sell out to the establishment (what some on the left accuse Bill Clinton and Obama of doing, and what some hope, or fear, Trump may do).

Or, three, a hostile takeover: instill enough fear in the members of the establishment so they serve your purposes not theirs. That pretty much is what Putin did, in a pattern somewhat reminiscent of the centralizing monarchs of European absolutism of the 17thand 18th centuries, with the Russian oligarchs serving as poor stand-ins for the traditional nobility in the earlier era. The last seems the most prudent course, and probably what Trump is trying to do under somewhat different conditions.

Brookings disputes that Putin really wants to see populists elected in other countries:

«Contrary to popular belief, the Russian president is no fan of populism. His support for populist parties in Europe and the United States is simply opportunistic: he will seek to bolster their chances, if they can fracture support for mainstream parties that tend to view Russia as a threat and the transatlantic bond as vital for countering it. His support is a pure calculation in order to survive».

Well, that’s one way to put it. A less snarky way to say it would be that Putin prefers political forces in Europe and the US that are less hostile to Russia than those that are more hostile. How horrible!

He rightly identifies the latter with globalist, anti-traditionalist, anti-national, anti-Christian, pro-jihad, pro-migration multicultural elites who are destroying their own countries, while the former are not just «populists» but patriots, whether they be American, French, English, Serbian, etc. Isn’t that what different countries are for?

Irony of ironies: when the Soviets used their proxy General Jaruzelski to crush Solidarnoszcz in December 1981, the Reagan administration aptly demanded the Soviets «Let Poland be Poland». Great idea! And let France be France, Germany Germany, America America, Serbia Serbia – and let Russia be Russia.

But somehow that’s bad. Russia must be America, or at least be Holland.

This week we’ll see if Washington will give permission for China to be China.

“Moon Of Alabama” – On this day one hundred years ago the U.S. joined World War I. Last night the U.S. attacked a Syrian government airport in an openly hostile and intentional manner. The strike established a mechanism by which al-Qaeda can “request” U.S. airstrikes on Syrian government targets. It severely damaged the main support base for Syria’s fight against the Islamic State in eastern Syria. The event will possibly lead to a much larger war.

On April 4 Syrian airplanes hit an al-Qaeda headquarter in Khan Sheikoun, Idleb governate. Idleb governate is under al-Qaeda control. After the air strike some chemical agent was released. The symptoms shown in videos from local aid stations point to a nerve-agent. The release probably killed between 50 and 90 people. It is unknown how the release happened.

In 2013 the Syrian government had given up all its chemical weapons. UN inspectors verified this.

The target was militarily and strategically insignificant.

There was no immediate pressure on the Syrian military.

The international political atmosphere had recently turned positive for Syria.

Even if Syria had stashed away some last-resort weapon this would have been the totally wrong moment and totally wrong target for using it. Over the last six year of war the Syrian government army had followed a political and militarily logical path. It acted consistently. It did not act irrational. It is highly unlikely that it would have now take such an illogical step.

The chemical used, either Sarin or Soman, was not in a clean form. Multiple witnesses reported of a “rotten smell” and greenish color. While the color would point to a mixture with Chlorine the intense smell of Chlorine is easily identifiable, covers up most other odors and would have been recognized by witnesses. Both Sarin and Soman are in pure form colorless, tasteless and odorless. The Syrian government once produced nerve agents on a professional, large scale base. Amateurishly produced nerve-gases are not pure and can smell (example: Tokyo subway incident 1995). It is unlikely that the Syrian government experts would produce a “rotten smelling”, dirty, low quality stuff in an unprofessional and dangerous process.

The nerve agents in Khan Sheikoun, should they be confirmed, came either from stashed ammunition at the place attacked by the Syrian government or it was willfully released by the local ruling terrorist groups -al-Qaeda and Ahrar al-Sham- after the strike to implicate the Syrian government. The relatively low casualty numbers of mostly civilians point to the second variant.

For a release incident of powerful chemical weapons the casualty numbers were low, lower than the casualty numbers of recent conventional U.S. air strikes in Syria and Iraq. Despite that fact a huge international media attack wave, seemingly prepared in advance, against the Syrian government was released. No evidence was presented that the incident was caused by the Syrian government. The only pictures and witness reports from the ground came from or through elements, like the White Helmets, who are known to by embedded with al-Qaeda and ISIS (video) and are acting as their propaganda arm.

Last night U.S. president Trump “responded” to the incident by ordering the launch of 59 cruise missiles on the Syrian military airport Al Syairat (vid). The cruise missiles were launched from sea in a volley designed to overwhelm air defenses. According to the Syrian and Russian military only 23 cruise missiles reached the airport. The others were shut down or failed. Six Syrian soldiers were Killed, nine civilians in a nearby village were killed or wounded and nine Syrian jets were destroyed. The airport infrastructure was severely damaged. The Syrian and Russian governments had been warned before the strikes hit and evacuated most men and critical equipment. (Was the warning part of a deal?) The air attack coincided with an Islamic State ground attack east of the airport.

The Pentagon alleges, without any evidence, that Sarin had been stored at the airport and a chemical attack launched from it. Both seems highly unlikely. The airport was accessible for UN inspectors. It is not as well covered by air defenses as other Syrian airports, for example in Latakia governate. Its ground approaches are not completely secured. Some medium range air defense system near al Syairat was recently used against Israeli planes attacking Syrian forces fighting ISIS near Palmyra.

Al Syairat lies in Homs governate, 150 km south of Khan Sheikoun in Idleb governate. It is the main support and supply airport for the besieged Syrian government enclave in Deir Ezzor which will now again be in even more serious trouble. It was also used to launch attacks on the Islamic State which fights the Syrian government troops in east Homs.

Al-Qaeda and its sidekick Ahra al-Sham welcomed the U.S. strikes and Abu Ivanka al Amriki on their side. The theocratic dictatorship of Saudi Arabia offered its full support as did its British creators.

The U.S. airstrike delivers a message to al-Qaeda. Whenever under military pressure al-Qaeda can now stage or fake a “chemical attack” and the U.S. will act to destroy its enemy, the Syrian government. Acts as the one last night are then direct military support by the U.S. on al-Qaeda’s request.

A similar scheme had earlier been established on the Golan heights. Al-Qaeda, fighting against Syrian government positions, would launch a mortar round that would land within Israeli controlled territory. Israel would then launch artillery strikes against Syrian government positions because “the Syrian government is responsible for what happens in the area”. Al-Qaeda then used the battle field advantage created by the Israeli strike. The scheme and the Israeli military “reasoning” was published several times in Israeli media:

A number of mortars have landed in Israeli territory as a result of spillover fighting over the last several years, raising fears among residents near the border.

The IDF often responds to fire that crosses into Israel by striking Syrian army posts.

Israel maintains a policy of holding Damascus responsible for all fire from Syria into Israel regardless of the source of the fire.

The U.S. administration has now established a similar mechanism, on a larger scale, of direct military U.S. support for al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Syria.

The Trump presidency had been held hostage by unfounded allegation of “Russian interference” in the U.S. elections in support of the Trump candidacy. The air strikes on Syria might have been the ransom that was demanded for the release of the hostage. His opponents are now gushing about him. The allegation of any Trump-Russia connections may now die down.

Yesterday major Democratic leaders in Congress supported strikes on Syria. Despite that they are also likely to attack Trump over them. The strikes are a “strong man” gamble. As Trump said when Obama ordered strikes such are a desperate move. Most parts of the State Department and the NSC were not consulted about them. The chances that these will “blow back” politically as well as strategically are high.

Trump is the third U.S. president in a row who promised less belligerence during his campaign only to deliver more after the election. The “democratic” veil of the U.S. oligarchic rule thus rips further apart.

Open U.S.-Russian cooperation in Syria will now cease. U.S. planes in Syrian airspace are from now on constantly under imminent danger. There will also be some larger revenge against the U.S. for last night’s strikes. Likely not in Syria but in Iraq, Afghanistan or at sea. A “message” will be send. The U.S. reaction to that “message” will be a decision over a much larger war.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

That’s it. The last remaining election fog has lifted. Instead of an overworked statement about a joint fight against the biggest enemy, ISIS (the Islamic State), the Trump administration proved that it will fiercely fight the legitimate Syrian government, in a tough contradiction with international law and without UN approval, in violation of its own procedures stipulating that the Congress must first be notified of any military operation unrelated to aggression against the US. On the verge of a military clash with Russia.

Nobody is overestimating the value of pre-election promises but there must be limits of decency. Beyond that is absolute mistrust. Which is really sad for our now completely ruined relations. And which is good news for terrorists.

One more thing. This military action is a clear indication of the US president’s extreme dependency on the opinion of the Washington establishment, the one that the new president strongly criticised in his inauguration speech. Soon after his victory, I noted that everything would depend on how soon Trump’s election promises would be broken by the existing power machine. It took only two and a half months.

I have an important update: based on Russian sources, including video footage and the reports of one Russian journalist on the ground, Evgenii Poddubnyi, it has become clear that the US strike was largely symbolic. Here is the evidence:

The Russians were given a warning which they, of course, passed on to the Syrians. The Americans must have assumed that this would happen.

The Syrian airbase was lightly damaged: a few number of aircraft were damaged or destroyed, but many of these were in repairs and could not fly. Fuel storage tanks were destroyed. A number of aircraft bunkers were damage or destroyed. A few barracks were also destroyed.

There were 6 or 7 casualties, which is very little.

Crucially, the runways did not suffer.

Now here is the really intriguing thing: it appears that only 23 out of a total of 59 US cruise missiles hit the base. The rest are unaccounted for. This could be due to all sorts of reasons, including Syrian and Russian air defenses or Russian electronic warfare. I tend to believe that the latter is the cause. But then, this begs another question: why did the Russians let 23 of the cruise missiles through? Possibly to appease Trump and not force him to re-strike. Other possibility, to make sure that the political fallout from this stupid and reckless attack still come back to hurt the United States (had they destroyed all the cruise missiles this would not happen).

As for the Russian political reaction, I find it rather flaccid: Russia has condemned the attack and suspended the Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Flight Safety Incidents in the course of operations in Syria signed with the US.

Meh, I am rather unimpressed.

Here is the full Russian MoFA statement:

The United States conducted strikes against Syrian government troops in the early hours of April 7, using chemical weapons attacks in Idlib Province as a pretext.

The US opted for a show of force, for military action against a country fighting international terrorism without taking the trouble to get the facts straight.

It is not the first time that the US chooses an irresponsible approach that aggravates problems the world is facing, and threatens international security. The very presence of military personnel from the US and other countries in Syria without consent from the Syrian government or a UN Security Council mandate is an egregious and obvious violation of international law that cannot be justified. While previous initiatives of this kind were presented as efforts to combat terrorism, now they are clearly an act of aggression against a sovereign Syria. Actions undertaken by the US today inflict further damage to the Russia-US relations.

Russia has expressed on numerous occasions that it was ready to cooperate on resolving the most urgent issues the world is facing today, and that fighting international terrorism was a top priority. However, we will never agree to unsanctioned action against the legitimate Syrian government that has been waging an uncompromising war on international terrorism for a long time.

Seeking to justify military action Washington has totally distorted what had happened in Idlib. The US could not have failed to grasp the fact that the Syrian government troops did not use chemical weapons there. Damascus simply does not have them, as confirmed a number of times by qualified experts. This was the conclusion reached by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Over the recent years this organisation inspected almost all the facilities linked or possibly linked to Syria’s chemical weapons programme. As for Idlib, the terrorists operating there used to produce toxic land mines intended for use in Syria and Iraq. These manufacturing facilities were put out of operation in a military operation carried out by the Syrian air force.

The US pretends that it does not understand obvious things, turning a blind eye to the use of chemical weapons in Iraq, officially confirmed by Baghdad. The US refuses to believe the evidence provided by certified documents confirming the use of chemical weapons by terrorists in Aleppo. In doing so, the US is abetting international terrorism and making it stronger. New WMD attacks can be expected.

There is no doubt that the military action by the US is an attempt to divert attention from the situation in Mosul, where the campaign carried out among others by US-led coalition has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and an escalating humanitarian disaster.

It is obvious that the cruise missile attack was prepared in advance. Any expert understands that Washington’s decision on air strikes predates the Idlib events, which simply served as a pretext for a show of force.

Russia suspends the Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Flight Safety Incidents in the course of operations in Syria signed with the US.

We call on the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the latest developments.

Again, I am very underwhelmed to put it mildly.

I hope that the outrage inside Russia will force Lavrov to cancel his planned meeting with Tillerson. The usually sleepy Duma seems to be uncharacteristically outraged.

On a personal note, I will be gone all day and most of the week-end I will be attending Church services for the feasts of the Annunciation and the Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem.

You can expect an analysis by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

The Saker

PS: needless to say, no chemical weapons or chemical weapon storage facilities were damaged: we know that since NOBODY, including the Russian reporters, were even carrying, nevermind wearing, any gas masks or, even less so, full chemical protection suits. This is hardly surprising since, of course, they never existed in the first place.

PPS: just for the record, this attack was a direct and clear violation of

US national law (Trump never got Congress to authorize this attack)

International law (Trump is now a criminal guilty of the crime of ‘aggression’)

The UN Charter

In other words, Trump is now a war criminal and the USA a rogue state (again).

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova gives appropriate response to series of blockheaded questions put by a representative from CBS News. From the video description:

It is noteworthy, that the only real source of information on what took place, are the videos made by the White Helmets, an infamous propaganda organisation as it pertains to the Syrian civil war. In this clip, Maria Zakharova calls on Western respresenatives/ journalists to hear Russia, and what it has to say.

So now we finally have the answer to the key question whether Trump was for real of a fake: he has just ordered a cruise missile attack on Syria. Words fail me to express my total disgust with Trump.

All I will say is this: this is a moment as crucial as the US/NATO aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999. When that happened, Evgenii Primakov, then Prime Minister of Russia, who was in an aircraft on the way to an official visit to Washington DC, ordered his pilot to turn around.

Russia needs to cancel the planned visit of Rex Tillerson to Moscow scheduled for April 11-12.

Israeli forces continued their settlement activities in the West Bank.

20 dunums were demolished from Deir Balout lands, and 135 olive trees were uprooted from Deiristayah in Salfit.

Israeli forces turned the West Bank into cantons and continued to impose the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip for the 10th

Dozens of temporary checkpoints were established in the West Bank and others were re-established to obstruct the movement of Palestinian civilians.

5 Palestinian civilians were arrested at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (30 March – 05 April 2017).

Shooting:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child from Nablus in Jerusalem’s Old City. Meanwhile, they wounded 22 other civilians, including 3 children and a photojournalist, in the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued to open fire at the farmers in the border areas.

In the West Bank, in a new crime of using excessive force, on 01 April 2017, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child, Ahmed Ghazal (17), from Nablus, after stabbing settlers on al-Wad Street in Jerusalem’s Old City. They chased the abovmeentioned child, who fled towards the entry of a small building. The Israeli forces then fired around 25 bullets at him from a close distance, so Ghazal immediately died. Eyewitnesses emphasized that the shooting occurred immediately after they raided the building, so they could have arrested the child especially that the building is small and was completely surrounded. Moreover, there was only one exit.

In the same context, on 30 March 2017, 16 civilians, including 2 children, were wounded when dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders organized a peaceful protest commemorating the Earth Day in Salman Mount, south of Nablus, and planted olive trees in a land threatened of confiscation. Two of the wounded persons were hit with live bullets while the rest were hit with metal bullets.

On the same day, a 25-year-old civilian was hit with a bullet to the left thigh when Israeli forces moved into Tubas to carry out an arrest campaign. Therefore, a number of civilians protested against them.

On 31 March 2017, a 14-year-old child was wounded when Israeli forces stationed at the southern entrance to Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, opened fire at him. They then arrested the child and took him to a hospital in Israel.

On the same day, Israeli forces wounded 3 civilians, including a photojournalist in Palestine TV while participating in Kafr Qadoum protest, north of Qalqilya.

On 05 April 2017, Akram al-Atrash (23) was hit with 3 bullets to the shoulder, hand and chest when Israeli undercover units dressed like Palestinians “Mosta’arbeen” sneaked into al-Dheishah refugee camp, south of Bethlehem to carry out an arrest campaign.

In the Gaza Strip, as part of targeting the border areas, on 03 April 2017, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, opened fire at the agricultural lands in al-Fokhari and Khuza’ah villages. No casualties were reported.

On 04 April 2017, Israeli planes sprayed crop-killing pesticides on the agricultural lands to the west of the border fence between Israel and Gaza Strip, northeast of al-Qararah village, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Farmers there emphasized that they saw small planes flying low in the area. The farmers added that those planes started spraying pesticides over 300-400 meters of the lands to the west of the fence before moving to the north to the eastern side of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 57 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 11 ones into occupied Jerusalem and its suburbs. During those incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 73 Palestinian civilians, including 16 children. Twenty-three of them, including 11 children, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.

Creating Jewish Majority in Occupied East Jerusalem:

In the context of house demolitions, the Israeli Municipality vehicles demolished 3 residential facilities, walls and an agricultural room in Za’im village, east of the city, under the pretext of non-licensing. Those facilities are comprised of 3 buildings, which include 16 apartments; two of which were inhabited, 8 were ready for housing and 6 were under construction. Moreover, the bulldozers demolished an agricultural room and walls surrounding 3 plots of lands. It should be mentioned that the two inhabited apartments used to shelter 11 persons.

In the same context, Hafez al-Rajabi self-demolished his house on the same day in Beit Hanina village, north of East occupied Jerusalem, upon a decision by the Israeli municipality, in order to avoid paying the demolition costs to the municipality staff. The 120-square-meter house was built 15 years ago and sheltered a family of 7 members, including 4 children.

in the same context, Fayez and Soliman ‘Abdel Latif Ja’abis was forced to self-demolishe their houses in al-Mukaber Mount village, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, upon a decision by the Israeli municipality. The two houses were built on an area of 150 square meters 3 years ago and sheltered two families of 16 members, including 12 children.

Settlement Activities and settlers’ attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property:

On 30 March 2017, Israeli forces levelled Palestinian lands belonging to the Deir Balout Municpality, west of Salfit. Local sources said that the Israeli municipality bulldozers levelled so far 20 dunums out of 72 dunums intended to be levelled. those lands belong to the families of Samarah, ‘Abdel Rahman and ‘Abdullah and were levelled for the interest of expanding “Arayel” settlement and its industrial area.

On 03 April 2017, Israeli forces uprooted 135 olive trees from Qana Valley lands belonging to the Deiristiya Municipality, northwest of Salfit, under the pretext that “they are obstacles in the Natural Reserve.” A 35-meter retaining wall was also demolished under the pretext of changing the area.

In the same context, on 27 March 2017, a group of settlers from Gel’ad settlement established on the Palestinian lands of Jeet village, northeast of Qalqilya, attacked farmers from the abovementioned village while ploughing their land there.

Restrictions on movement:

Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products to be exported. For 9 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 2 million people. The Israeli authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy. They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s exports. The Israeli closure raised the rate of poverty to 65%. Moreover, the rate of unemployment increased up to 47% and youth constitutes 65% of the unemployed persons. Moreover, 80% of the Gaza Strip population depends on international aid to secure their minimum daily needs. These rates indicate the unprecedented economic deterioration in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces continued to suffocate the Palestinian cities and village by imposing military checkpoints around and/or between them. This created “cantons” isolated from each other that hinders the movement of civilians. Moreover, the Palestinian civilians suffering aggravated because of the annexation wall and checkpoints erected on daily basis to catch Palestinians.

Details

Incursions into Palestinian Areas, and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Thursday, 30 March 2017

At approximately 01:30, Israeli forces moved into al-Far’ah refugee camp, south of Tubas. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mohammed Fathi Mansour (25) and then arrested him.

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Beit Ummer village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses belonging to Sabri ‘Awad, Malik Sabri ‘Awad, Yusuf Sabri ‘Awad, Sa’id Mahmoud ‘Awad and Mohammed Mahmoud Ekhleil. They then arrested Ekhleil’s son Raed (23).

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Surif village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mousa Amin Ghunaimat (30). Israeli forces later withdrew, but no arrests were reported.

At approximately 02:00, Israeli forces moved into Tubas. They patrolled in the neighborhoods amidst firing of sound bombs. A number of civilians gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers, who fired live bullets at them in response. As a result, a 25-year-old civilian sustained live bullet wound to the left thigh. He was transferred to Tubas Turkish Hospital to receive medical treatment. Following that, the Israeli soldiers raided and searched a house belonging to Husam Salah ‘Essa Abu ‘Amrou (29) and then arrested him.

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into ‘Ein Yabrud village, northeast of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to Zahi (22) and ‘A’laa’ Hatem Huwaih (19) an then arrested him.

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Bani Na’im village, east of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mohammed Mousa al-Khdour and then arrested him.

Note: During the aforementioned day, Israeli forces conducted (9) incursions in the following areas and no arrests were reported: Sebastia village, northwest of Nablus; Beit Furiq and Beit dagan villages, east of the city; Qalqiliyah, al-‘Aroub refugee camp, Beit Oula, Taffouf, al-Thaheriyah and Abu al-‘Asja village in Hebron.

Friday, 31 March 2017

At approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into Husan village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mohammed Abdul Hakim Sebatin (27) and then arrested them.

At approximately 03:30, Israeli forces moved into Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses and then burst the doors. They arrested 4 civilians, including 2 children, namely Mohammed Husam Hamed (16), Abdul Qader Sa’ed Hammad (16), Mohammed Abdul Majid Hammad (32), who is a former prisoner, and Abul Jawad Wasef Hamed (26).

At approximately 04:50, Israeli forces moved into Der Estia village, northwest of Salfit. They raided and searched a house belonging to Tareq Nafeth Mansour (27) and then arrested him.

In the evening, Israeli forces stationed at the south eastern entrance to Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah, opened fire at ‘Atabah Jeyad Husain ‘Amirah (14). As a result, he sustained a live bullet wound to the foot. An ambulance of the Red Crescent Society (PRCS) arrived at the place to take ‘Atabah to the hospital, but the Israeli forces prevented to do so. The Israeli forces them called for an Israeli ambulance of Magen David Adom and transferred him to an Israeli hospital.

Note: During the aforementioned day, Israeli forces conducted (6) incursions in the following areas and no arrests were reported: Sebastia village, Jeni and its camp, Ya’bud, south of the city; al-Samou’i and Ethna villages, south of Hebron.

Saturday, 01 April 2017

Note: During the aforementioned day, Israeli forces conducted (3) incursions in the following areas and no arrests were reported: Hebron, Taffouh, Hawarah villages, south of Nablus.

Sunday, 02 April 2017

At approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into the southern area in Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mohammed Mahmoud al-Natshah (22) and Mohammed ‘Ali Abu ‘Eker (18) and then arrested them.

At approximately 02:00, Israeli forces moved into Nablus through its all entrances and stationed in Ras al-‘Ein neighbourhood, south of the city. The soldiers surrounded al-Masri building and then raided and searched a house belonging to Zaher Fathi Ghazal in the abovementioned building and questioned his family and then left the house. It should be noted that Ghazal is the father of Ahmed (17), who was killed a day ago in Jerusalem. The Israeli forces claimed that Ahmed carried out a stab attack in Wadi al-Jawz neighbourhood in the city. Moreover, the Israeli forces raided and searched al-Bukhari Library adjacent to Najah National University, west of the city, and fixed a notice to close the library for 2 months. It should be noted that the abovementioned library, which has been closed since 27 October 2016 and whose contents were confiscated, belongs to prisoner ‘Alaa’ Taiseer Abdul Ghani Essa Salaam, who has been arrested since 03 October 2016. The closure came after the Israeli claims that the place contributes to incitement to carry out terrorist attacks.

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Beit Fujjar village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Emad Mahmoud Taqatqa (22) and then arrested him.

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Beit Ummer village, north of Hebron, and stationed in Safa, al-Sha’ab and al-Bayadah neighbourhoods. They raided and searched a house belonging to Yusuf Bader Ekhleil (35), confiscated clothes of his son ‘Ammar (7) and then arrested Yusuf. The soldiers also raided and searched a house belonging to Abdul Hamid Mhaisen ‘Awad (50) and then arrested his son Montser (21). They also arrested Ibrahim Khalil Abu Dayyah (24) after searching his house.

Later, Jacqueline Fararjeh, a lawyer at the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, said to PCHR’s fieldworker that the Israeli forces attacked and investigated EKhleil and Abu Dayyah during their arrest. They also attacked Saber al-‘Amour from Taqqou’ village, southeast of Bethlehem. The Fararjeh’s statements came after she visited the three civilians in the detention center in “Gush Etzion” settlement complex, south of the city.

At approximately 02:30, Israeli forces moved into Zeta village, south of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and then arrested Ayham Roumal ‘Ali Abu Hamdi (17).

At approximately 11:00, Israeli forces moved into Wad Abu Fariha area in al-‘abyat village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Anas Nabhan al-‘Amour (23) and then arrested him.

At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into al- Thaheriyah village, south of Hebron, and stationed in Shuweikah area. They raided and searched a house belonging to Abdullah ‘Ataa al-Hawarin (29) and later withdrew, but no arrests were reported.

Note: During the aforementioned day, Israeli forces conducted (3) incursions in the following areas and no arrests were reported: Beit Awa and Raboud villages in Hebron and Beta village, south of Nablus.

Monday, 03 April 2017

At approximately 00:30, Israeli forces moved into al-Karkafah area in the center of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mohammed Sabri Zahawrah (20) and then arrested him.

At approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into al-Samou’i village, south of Hebron, and stationed in al-Semia area. They raided and searched a house belonging to Shebel Ahmed Daghamin (33) and then arrested him.

At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched 2 houses belonging to ‘Ataa Omer Nakhlah (33) and Mohammed Jalal Nakhlah (20) and then arrested them.

At approximately 07:30, Israeli undercover agents “Mosta’rebeen” dressed like Palestinian civilians moved into al-Masyoun neighbourhood, south of Ramallah. Eyewitnesses said to PCHR’s fieldworker that 7 persons were inside a furniture truck, and then raided and searched a house belonging to Ahmed Wael ‘Afanah (19). They attacked him and his family and then arrested him. It should be noted that ‘Afanah was a former prisoner.

Around the same time, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip, opened fire at agricultural lands in Khuza’ah and al-Fukhari villages, west of the abovementioned border fence. The shooting continued sporadically for half an hour, but no casualties were reported.

Tuesday, 04 April 2017

At approximately 01:30, Israeli forces moved into Bethlehem and stationed on al-Saf Street in the centre of the city. They raided and searched several houses after which they arrested Mustafa Bassam Ahmed al-Shaikh (24) and Mohammed Maslat (26).

At approximately 02:00, Israeli forces moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses, after which they arrested Hamzah Abdullah Hasan Yusuf (22) and Momen Ahmed Abdul Qader ‘Obaid (23)

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into al-‘Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, and stationed in al-Fouqa neighbourhood. They raided and searched a house Wadi’ Mohammed al-Badawi (22) and then arrested him.

At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Ya’bud village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and then arrested Omer ‘Adnan Yaseen Hamarshah (25).

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Ethna village, west of Hebron and stationed in ‘Aziz neighbourhood. They raided and searched a house belonging to Motasem Jebril al-Jayawi (27) and then arrested him.

At approximately 03:30, Israeli forces moved into al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. A number of young men gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers. The soldiers fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets and sound bombs at the young men in response. In the meantime, the Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and then arrested 3 civilians, including a child, namely Oseid Morad Nakhlah (18), Mohammed Neal ‘Elyan (17) and Sofian Mohammed ‘Ataa Sharakah (18).

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Barta’ah village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and then arrested Mohammed Hamdan Kansh (27) and Mohammed Jamal Mas’oud (22).

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Yatta, south of Hebron, and stationed in Roq’ah neighbourhood. They raided and searched a house belonging to Abdullah Essa al-‘Awouri (22) and then arrested him.

At approximately 04:00, Israeli forces moved into ‘Ezbet al-Jarad, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses after which they arrested Khalid Bassam Abdul Fattah Hamshari (21).

At approximately 07:00, Israeli planes sprayed crop-killing pesticides at agricultural lands that are around 300 to 400 meters away to the west of the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, northeast of al-Qararah village, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. Farmers in the area said to PCHR’s fieldworker that they saw small planes flying low over the abovementioned border fence, sprayed pesticides on an area of 300 – 400 square meters along the abovementioned border fence. The planes flied then to the north heading to east of Deir al-Balah. The spraying continued until 09:30. It should be noted that this is not the first time that Israeli forces spray pesticides on the area under the pretext of burn grass in the buffer zone, west of the border fence for security reasons. However, each time, the pesticides affect agricultural lands and damaged large areas of them.

Note: During the aforementioned day, Israeli forces conducted (4) incursions in the following areas and no arrests were reported: Surif, Kharas villages, al-Fawar refugee camp and al-Reihiyah village.

Wednesday, 05 April 2017

At approximately 02:30, Israeli forces moved into al-Dawhah village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Baraa’ Jamil Abu ‘Alyah (21) and then arrested him.

At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses. They then arrested 4 civilians, including a child, namely ‘Adel Mohammed Ghayatha (16), Ibrahim Walid Najajrah (20), Abdul Karim Mohammed Shakarnah (20) and ‘Omran Yusuf Najajrah (21).

Around the same time, Israeli forces moved into Fahmah village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and then arrested Loai Ahmed Sa’abnhah (35) and Sahfiq Mahmoud Sa’abnah (27).

At approximately 03:30, a group of Israeli undercover agents dressed like Palestinian civilians used a truck and moved into al-Dheisheh refugee camp, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses after which they arrested Ahmed Essa Sarrar (22), Mo’tasem Mazen Raqban (23) and Ahmed al-Sar’awi (22). After that, a group of Palestinian young men gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers. The soldiers fired live bullets and rubber-coated metal bullets at the young men in response. As a result, Akram al-Atrash (23) was hit with 3 live bullets to the shoulder, hand and chest. He was transferred to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem to receive medical treatment.

Use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrations protesting settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall

West Bank:

At approximately 12:00, on Thursday, 30 March 2017, on Earth day, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration. They moved from Madama village council and made their way to al-Qa’dat area in Suleiman Mount, south of the village, which is threatened of confiscation, as they carried olive seedlings. The civilians were surprised with the Israeli forces stationed on the top of the abovementioned mount, which is about 500 meters away from the land they intended to plant. When the civilians began planting the olive seedlings, the Israeli soldiers fired live bullets and rubber-coated metal bullets at them. As a result, 16 civilians, including 2 children, were wounded. Two civilians were hit with live bullets while the others were hit with metal bullets. Among those wounded were Dr. Ghassan Hamdan (54), Director of Medical Relief in Palestine in Nablus, sustained a metal bullet wound to the back; Derar Mohammed Husain Abu Omer (53), working in the Palestinian Agricultural Relief, was hit with a metal bullet to the right leg; Khaled Hasan Mohammed Soboh (59), official in Agricultural Relief, was hit with a metal bullet to the left leg sustaining fracture, Amin Mohammed Amin Nassar (12) sustained a metal bullet wound to the left leg and Hafeth Mohammed Hafeth Nassar (12) was hit with a metal bullet to the leg.

At approximately 13:00 on the same day, dozens of Palestinian civilians, activists from the Hebron Defense Committee and International and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful protest to plant trees in Wad al-Husain area, east of Hebron, on which the Israeli authorities established “Kiryat Arba” The protest was organized to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. The protestors carried slogans titled “United against confiscation of lands in al-Jalil, al-Naqab and al-Muthalath”. The soldiers surrounded the area and attacked and beat the protesters, claiming that the abovementioned area was declared as a closed military zone. The Israeli soldiers then arrested 4 activists from the Popular Resistance and took them to a detention center in “Gush Etzion” settlement complex, south of Bethlehem. The arrested activists were identified as ‘Anan Samir Maswadah, an activist in the Hebron Defense Committee; Bade’I Mohammed Adeeb Duwaik, Coordinator of the “human rights Defenders” Gathering; Younis Mohammed ‘Arar, Head of the Palestinian Committee against the Annexation Wall in Hebron and Eshaq Abdul Hamid al-Khatib. It should be noted that the Israeli authorities informed the lawyers of the arrested activists that they were arrested on charges of being in a closed military zone.

At approximately 12:40 on Friday, 31 March 2017, Palestinian civilians and International activists organized a protest in Kufur Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqiliyah. They made their way towards the eastern entrance of the village in protest against closing that entrance since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada with an iron gate. When the protesters approached the entrance, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, 3 civilians were wounded, including Bashar Mahmoud Nazal Saleh (40), a photojournalist at Palestine TV Channel, sustained a metal bullet to the right leg. Moreover, several civilians suffered tear gas inhalation, and the Israeli bulldozers damaged the main water pipe of the village.

Following the Friday prayer, dozens of Palestinian civilians and Israeli and international human rights defenders organized demonstrations in Bil’in and Nil’in villages, west of Ramallah, and in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of the city, protesting against the annexation wall and settlement activities. Israeli forces forcibly dispersed the protestors, firing live and metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. They also chased the protesters into olive fields and between houses. As a result, many of the protesters suffered tear gas inhalation while others sustained bruises due to being beaten up by the Israeli soldiers.

Continued closure of the oPt

Israel continued to impose a tight closure on the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

Israeli forces continuously tighten the closure of the Gaza Strip and close all commercial crossings, making the Karm Abu Salem crossing the sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip, although it is not suitable for commercial purposes in terms of its operational capacity and distance from markets.

Israeli forces have continued to apply the policy, which is aimed to tighten the closure on all commercial crossings, by imposing total control over the flow of imports and exports.

Israeli forces have continued to impose a total ban on the delivery of raw materials to the Gaza Strip, except for very limited items and quantities. The limited quantities of raw materials allowed into Gaza do not meet the minimal needs of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces also continued to impose an almost total ban on the Gaza Strip exports, including agricultural and industrial products, except for light-weighted products such as flowers, strawberries, and spices. However, they lately allowed the exportation of some vegetables such as cucumber and tomatoes, furniture and fish.

Israel has continued to close the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for the majority of Palestinian citizens from the Gaza Strip. Israel only allows the movement of a limited number of groups, with many hours of waiting in the majority of cases. Israel has continued to adopt a policy aimed at reducing the number of Palestinian patients allowed to move via the Beit Hanoun crossing to receive medical treatment in hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel also continued applying the policy of making certain civilian traveling via the crossing interviewed by the Israeli intelligence service to be questioned, blackmailed or arrested.